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Were N.J. woman's cats meal for coyote?

Diane Teufel walked inside her Wall home on Saturday for just a few minutes while two of her five cats lounged on the lawn. When she returned, the 13-pound peach male and a smaller gray-and-white female were gone.

Were N.J. woman's cats meal for coyote?

WALL – Diane Teufel walked inside her Wall home on Saturday for just a few minutes while two of her five cats lounged on the lawn. When she returned, the 13-pound peach male and a smaller gray-and-white female were gone.

"They just disappeared," Teufel said. "Where'd they go?"

The 71-year-old has her suspects. She believes a coyote or a pack ended the lives of the two cats.

She did not see coyotes that day, but said she has seen the animals before: first on the sidewalk in front of her home, and weeks later on her porch.

Cpl. Kevin Rooney of the Tinton Falls branch of the Associated Humane Society, which handles animal control calls for Wall, said there have been past sightings of coyotes in nearby Manasquan, but he has seen no evidence of the animals recently. A Wall police sergeant and a dispatcher both said they have heard no complaints of coyote sightings or attacks in the area.

But Eileen Dangelo, 61, of the Manasquan Park section of Wall, said she's seen two in the last four months. She now walks her three dachshunds while carrying her husband's golf club in case of coyote attacks.

"I don't take any chances," Dangelo said.

In 2007, a dog was attacked by a coyote in Shark River Park, police said at the time. That same year, two children were attacked by coyotes in Middletown. In 2008, Wall residents were warned to be wary of coyotes following a series of sightings.

Rooney said foxes are more common in the area.

Teufel says the animals she saw around her house were no foxes. She says the creatures were the size of small German shepherds, but were leaner with slender legs, she said.

Foxes would be reluctant to prey on a full-size cat, though one might attack a kitten, Rooney said.

Since her two cats disappeared, Teufel keeps her remaining three indoors.

"I wouldn't take my eyes off them for a second," she said.

Coyotes sometimes prey on small domestic animals, such as cats and small dogs, Rooney said. Coyotes are attracted to locations that might be a source of prey, including outdoor pet food dishes and bird feeders, he said.

The coyote is adaptable and lives throughout New Jersey. It finds food in suburban edge habitat, the areas where forests meet yards or meet fields, according to the National Wildlife Control Operators Association, a trade organization for animal control professionals.

New Jersey coyotes are larger than the variety found in the western United States. They can be distinguished from dogs by their long, narrow snouts; their bushy, black-tipped tails; and their habit of holding their tails horizontal or lower to ground than dogs.

Coyotes primarily eat rabbits and rodents, but will eat pet food, garbage and domesticated pets, according to the association.

Amanda Oglesby: 732-557-5701; aoglesby@app.com

Protect yourself and your pets from coyotes with these five tips:

Put away bird feeders at night to keep rodents and coyote prey away.

Do not feed pet or feral cats outside, because coyotes will eat the food and prey on the animals.

Secure garbage cans.

Remove sources of water.

Remove brush and weeds that provide habitat for rodents and shelter for coyotes.

Source: New Jersey Chapter of the National Wildlife Control Operators Association.